Two 49ers don’t recall involvement in anti-gay-bullying video

In August, the 49ers became the first NFL team to shoot an “It Gets Better” video, which encourages gay teens to get help if they are being bullied because of their sexual orientation.

On Thursday, however, two of the four players who participated in the trail-blazing project initially said they weren’t in the video and, later, were clearly unaware it was aimed at gay youths, USA Today reported. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga took part in the one-minute public-service announcement, but needed their memory jogged when asked about their involvement. The video was filmed in the spring.

The “It Gets Better” video, of course, was a topic in the wake of anti-gay remarks made by 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver during a radio interview Tuesday.

“I didn’t make any video,” Brooks said. “This is America and if someone wants to be gay, they can be gay. It’s their right. But I didn’t make any video.”

When Brooks was shown the video on an IPhone, he said, “Oh, that. It was an anti-bullying video, not a gay (rights) video.”

When Sopoaga was shown the video after he didn’t recall his involvement, he asked, “What was that for?”

In the PSA, which included safety Donte Whitner and nose tackle Ricky Jean Francois, Whitner is the only player to make reference to the gay community.

“The San Francisco 49ers are proud to join itgetsbetter.org to let all LGBT teens know that it gets better,” said Whitner, who later added, “On behalf of the entire 49ers organization, we are on your side. And we promise: It gets better.”

On Thursday, Dan Savage, the co-founder of the It Gets Better campaign, said, via Twitter, that he would remove the 49ers video from itgetsbetter.org.

The 49ers were encouraged to participate in the project by Sean Chapin of San Francisco, a lifelong Niners fan who started an on-line petition that received more than 16,000 signatures on Change.org. In August, Chapin released a statement saluting the team for its involvement.

“With their ‘It Gets Better’ video, the 49ers are shining a golden beacon of hope to LGBT youth, and as a gay man, I enthusiastically applaud their courage and leadership,” Chapin said.

The It Gets Better campaign was launched in 2010 in response to a series of suicides by gay teens who were bullied in school.